The Thorn In My Side
by Codee21
Summary: For Muggle-Born Andrea Sterling, life has never been easy; from bullies to family troubles, somehow Andy always makes it through, stronger than before. So why does James Sirius Potter-cousin of her closest friend, prankster, and unbelievable prat-get under her skin like nothing or no one else can? NG, OC. Standalone spinoff of "Thorns Have Roses." Eventual James/Andy pairing.
1. Chapter 1

To new readers, welcome, and to familiar friends, welcome back! This is meant to be a short NG, OC spin-off of a longer fic that I'm writing, Thorns Have Roses, which currently has 23 chapters and is almost at the end of fourth year - (insert shameless plug here) I'd recommend you check it out if you haven't already. I realized that I enjoyed writing for James Potter and my OC Andrea far too much not to give them their own fic, basically, and there were many fun moments I alluded to in THR that I want to write but didn't get a chance to since I was limited to Rose's POV. This story is meant to stand on its own, however, and so reading Thorns Have Roses certainly isn't a prerequisite - everything you need to know will be filled in along the way.

So, let's get down to business

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any associated characters, etc (besides Andy).

Updates: I have a few chapters written (one chapter per Hogwarts year), so I'll be posting those probably about a week apart. After that point, I'll be alternating posts between THR and this story, as once I catch up to the timeline in THR I won't want to give too much away in either concurrent storyline. I'll try to update regularly, but taking a full course load, studying for the MCATs, and writing personal statements are extremely difficult and time-consuming.

Reviews, favorites, follows and PMs are all greatly appreciated 3 Please let me know what you think, or if you have any suggestions! As I said, I only have the first few years written, and only a general outline of the rest of their time at Hogwarts, so if I like your ideas and they work logistically I'll try to incorporate them.

Enjoy :)

First Year

Andrea Sterling ducked the Stunning Spell aimed at her chest in the nick of time. She threw up a Shield Charm, just in case she was too slow to dodge it completely, though with her quick fighter's reflexes that was highly unlikely. The poor first year behind her, a small Hufflepuff girl named Maeve Macmillan, wasn't fast enough; the spell hit her full on, causing her to slump unconscious against the castle wall. Andy growled in frustration before casting a weak Leg-locking Curse in retaliation at her attackers.

Andy couldn't stand to see other first years get picked on, and had long ago resolved to step in whenever she witnessed it. Though she wasn't a particularly skilled duelist (she was only a first year herself, after all, and a Muggle-born to boot), training for years in MMA had given her a keen sense of justice and a fighter's spirit, and she'd worked hard over the past few months to improve her defensive spells so that she could survive in a duel long enough to land a few physical blows. Some of the others students, the bullies she sought revenge on, said she was barbaric for using Muggle tactics to fight back against them. For Andy, it was only a simple matter of advantage. Of course she would use the best option necessary, do what needed to be done so that the bullies' intended victims could escape, and if that meant using her fists rather than spells because it was what she knew best then so be it. When she'd passed the third floor on her way back to the common room from dinner and heard the taunting voices of older male students echoing down the corridor, then, Andy hadn't thought twice about intervening to aid whoever they'd managed to corner this time.

This didn't make her very popular among some of the students, of course. She dodged a second Stunner, and used the movement to her advantage to gain a bit of ground between her and the Flint twins, who had started this when they decided to corner Maeve. Once she reached them, the fight would be all but over; though they were both large and strong, especially Caius who played Beater for the Slytherin Quidditch team, the fifth years were unskilled in physical brawls compared to Andy and she could easily take them with a few dirty moves. Magically speaking, they were her superiors, but fist fights? That had always been the Gryffindor girl's territory. Of course, they would probably run before she got within arms' reach, abandoning their quarry to her care. They weren't stupid, after all, and this wasn't the first time they'd gotten into it with her; Thomas had left their first scrape with a black eye, and Caius had very narrowly avoided a dislocated shoulder.

There was one disadvantage to her tactic, however: moving closer to her opponents meant that Andy had less time to react to spells before they reached her. She was on guard because of this, focusing intensely on Thomas and Caius, daring them with a defiant gaze to make a move as she took another step closer. Thomas looked like he was wavering, his blue eyes beginning to look hesitant as he glanced involuntarily at his brother. Of course, he couldn't afford another trip to the Hospital Wing, not with a Quidditch match against Gryffindor tomorrow – he would need to be in top form to catch the Snitch before Ganesh Wood spotted it and continued his House's winning record. He started to take a step backwards, and she pressed her advantage, slowly moving closer-

A loud bang coming from the right startled Andy, distracting her momentarily from the fight at hand. Caius used the opportunity to hit her with a Slug-Vomiting Hex before bolting down the corridor with his twin, who she saw was now limping. What the bloody hell had just happened?

The answer to her silent question made itself known as several slugs made their way out of her mouth in a sticky, disgusting pool of sick. "Ugh," she managed to choke out as she sank to the ground, "every time I think magic couldn't possibly get any worse!"

"It won't last very long," said a gangly black-haired boy as he came into her field of vision, kneeling next to her concernedly and conjuring a bucket for her to throw up into. "It's best to just get them all up. Are you alright? They didn't hurt you before I got here, did they?"

"Oh, no, I'm just -" here she paused to throw up another slug "dandy, thanks." After a few more of the horribly slimy things made an appearance, a thought occurred to her. "Wait, were you the one who got Thomas?"

The boy grinned devilishly. "I am. Can't say I'm sorry, either, those snakes certainly had it coming, cornering two younger students like that."

"You thought they cornered me? I would have beaten those-" more slugs caused her to choke on her words.

Her companion's smile had turned arrogant. "You? Beat **them**? They hit you with a Slug-Vomiting Charm, for Merlin's sake! And your friend over there has clearly been Stunned."

"She's not my friend, I was defending her! They wouldn't have hit me if you hadn't distracted me with that bloody racket!"

"I think you just don't know how to say thank you."

"I think **you're** just incapable of recognizing when you **aren't needed**. You're just like Sir Cadogan, charging in to the rescue and doing more harm than good." The effect of her words was somewhat marred by the multitude of slugs that poured from her mouth after, so she added, "I can handle myself with those two, I'm the one who gave Thomas that mouse in September."

Here the boy looked surprised. "That was you? I didn't hear anything about that, he said it was a Bludger, before Madame Longbottom fixed it."

"I don't brag, they don't tell their friends – it's a little unspoken deal I have with the Flints. And other bullies." Here she paused for more slugs. Really, forget Unforgiveables, or Azkaban – Andy thought vomiting slugs was horrid enough to turn any Dark wizard straight. "No one wants to get beat up by a first year, a girl no less, and they certainly don't want their friends to know either. I don't seek them out, and they don't seek me out, I just stop them when they try to get at the small ones like Maeve."

"Don't they try to have a go at your friends, then?"

"I don't have any," she replied tersely. Here she thought of Rose Weasley, however, and changed her answer. "Well, I have one. But we aren't in the same House, and she can take care of herself. Now look, I don't know who you are-"

"James. James Potter," he said, extending a hand to help her up her as he stood. "You're looking better, now."

Andrea ignored his hand and rose on her own. Ah yes, she was finally meeting Rose's mischievous, annoying cousin. From all of the stories she'd heard, Andy had expected him to be, well, a bit more unkind. And taller. He certainly seemed to have a bad case of White Knight Syndrome, though, exactly like Sir Cadogan in the Divination corridor. And he was a prat. "Well, James, my name is Andrea Sterling. I appreciate that you were trying to help. But don't get in my way again." With that, she turned to pick up Maeve, who seemed to weigh no more than a feather, before turning on her heel and heading to the Hospital Wing.

* * *

Several days later, Andy stumbled on the stairs heading down to the dungeons for Potions, tripping over the hem of the new robes she'd gotten for Christmas. As she began to fall to the floor, however, a strong pair of arms caught her around the waist. "Up you go, Sterling," said a familiar male voice in her ear.

She turned to face him. "Potter? Well, thank you."

He smirked. "Don't mention it." Fred Weasley, standing behind James, snickered quietly. A quick elbow to the ribs by his cousin silenced him. "Yes, well, we'd best be going," said the second-year, and the pair ascended the stairs without another word.

Andy reached into her robes for her wand, determined to do something about this hemline, and felt something small and round sitting in her pocket, the size of a pearl. As her palm made contact with its surface, it exploded in her hand, creating a cloud of pink smoke around her that clung to her skin, her hair, her robes. Looking down at herself once the air had cleared, Andy realized she was the precise shade of a Pygmy Puff, and scrubbed her hands together in a desperate attempt to return them to her normal tan color. Nothing worked.

Two voices burst into laughter at the top of the stairs. She turned to see James and Fred, nearly falling over with tears of mirth in their eyes. _You're going to wish you hadn't done that, Potter_ , she thought to herself. _I told you not to get in my way again. You don't want to make an enemy of me_.


	2. Chapter 2

So I realized how short the first chapter of this story is… so I decided to update with another. Hope you enjoy!

Just in case you've forgotten in the two hours it's been since I published this story, I do not own Harry Potter.

Second Year

Andy sat on the carpet in the corner of the Gryffindor common room, far from the roaring fire crackling merrily in the grate and the throng of older students occupying the comfortable armchairs, trying her best not to be seen or paid any mind. Usually she didn't care what other people were doing or who noticed her, but… she clutched the letter she'd received twenty minutes ago more tightly, creating sweaty creases in the parchment. It was addressed _"To My Daughter"_ in a neat hand, one that was all too familiar for her liking. She pulled distractedly at her short brown hair, nearly pulling it out at the roots as she wound it around her fingers, though she didn't notice the pain.

After twelve years of experience in dealing with her father, Andrea had come to realize three things: 1) Defending herself only made him angrier; 2) Keeping her Mum and brother Michael out of the line of fire was best when possible, thought it meant a harsher punishment for herself; and 3) Ignoring him or making him wait only made things worse later on. By not reading and answering his letter immediately, she was already going against number 3 – she had no doubt that he was already pacing the floor of his study, waiting for her reply. It was late, he'd most likely be going to bed soon, and if he didn't get her letter before he stumbled into his bed in a drunken stupor, she would come to thoroughly regret it later. Really, Andy had no reason to stall like this. She knew the gist of what her father's letter would contain, and delaying like this wouldn't change whatever insults he'd come up with this time, his feelings toward her, or the fact that after all these years he still somehow managed to get to her. Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, she smoothed out the paper and broke the wax seal. There was nothing here she hadn't heard before, and nothing she couldn't handle. She'd gotten worse. All she had to do was read it and –

The letter was snatched from her hands. Andy's eyes flew open in shock.

James Potter's face towered above her, his brown eyes filled with mischief. Fred Weasley stood beside him, as always. "Well, well, what have we here?" asked Fred.

"Does our dear Andy have a love letter?" asked James.

"It's Andrea, Potter, and give it here," she spoke in a quiet, serious tone. She knew it would be a mistake to let him see how much the letter meant to her, how desperately she wanted him to pass it back to her without reading it, and so she struggled to keep her voice calm. They had played this game many times before by now, him stealing something from her and taunting her with it, magically pulling a chair out from under her just as she was about to sit so that she fell on her bum, tugging at her hair when he passed her in the halls (though he'd gotten several bruises and even a broken rib on several different occasions for that one), passing her items from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes like a fake wand that turned into a rubber chicken when she tried to use it or more of those small pellets that exploded and turned her skin shades of eye-watering yellow or vomit green. She retaliated every chance she had. The stakes had never been nearly this high, though, and she was left scrambling for a way to change the rules before he read what was on the parchment. "It's from my family."

The black-haired boy snickered. "What, are they asking you if you need warmer socks?"

"Look, just give it **here** Potter… James." She stood.

He backed away slightly. "Ooh, you used my first name – it's that juicy, is it? Some torrid Muggle family affair?"

"POTTER I SWEAR, I WILL END YOU!" she shouted, lunging for the letter, only for him to dance out of her grip. Fred stepped between her and his cousin. And to Andy's horror, before she could reach him, James unfolded the parchment and began to read.

She saw the light slowly leave his eyes as he scanned through the lines. His mouth grew thin as he pressed his lips together, eyebrows knitting tighter. "Fred, bugger off," he said, eyes not leaving the page. The third year was outraged, but at his cousin's insistence, he eventually left while grumbling under his breath.

James turned to Andrea, finally looking up from her letter, turning the full force of brown eyes on her. Were they always quite this warm, this soft? "Your father… he actually wrote this? To you?"

Thinking it best not to try to speak, lest her voice give away any emotion, the girl nodded. She wasn't sure what that emotion would be, exactly, as she felt a curious mix of anger at his stealing her letter, anxiety as to its contents, and defiance in case he dared to try and pity her. Still, it was best to keep those types of things closely guarded until it was absolutely necessary to release them.

"I – I'm sorry," he said simply. "Here-" he handed the parchment back to her. "I don't think you particularly want this, but it is yours. And… I wish things weren't like this for you."

Andy nodded again, then decided to try speaking. "Doesn't matter. Nothing he says matters." It sounded strong, stronger than she felt right now, though it didn't have quite the scathing edge she'd been aiming for. "Neither do you, for that matter. You've had your fun, now bugger off."

"Well… I guess I'll leave you be then," he said, giving her one last sympathetic glance before turning toward the boys' dormitories.

Once he was gone, Andrea slid back down to the floor, steeling herself to read the letter that had transformed James Potter from prat to pansy, for now at least.

She'd gotten worse, she repeated to herself. She'd gotten worse.

* * *

 _Dear Andrea Sterling,_

 _Hello. It is James Sirius Potter. I hope the end of your term was pleasant._

 _Regards,_

 _James Sirius Potter_

* * *

 _Dear Andrea Sterling,_

 _Hello, it's James Potter. I just wanted to see how your summer was going._

 _Regards,_

 _James Potter_

* * *

 _Dear Andrea Sterling,_

 _Hello. Me again, James Potter. Did you catch the Chudley Cannons game last night?_

 _Regards,_

 _James Potter_

* * *

 _Dear Andrea,_

 _You can't ignore my letters forever. I'm only trying to help you, you know – I'm sure Rose is too caught up with comforting Malfoy to pay you much mind._

 _Best,_

 _James Potter_

* * *

 _Dear James Potter,_

 _How does your sending me an owl twice every bloody week help me, exactly?_

 _Sod off,_

 _Andrea Sterling_

* * *

 _Andrea,_

 _I figured it would give you something else to think about besides being home._

 _-James_

* * *

 _James Potter,_

 _Like thinking of you is any better?_

 _-Andrea Sterling_

* * *

 _Yes_

 _-James_

* * *

 _Andrea,_

 _You know I'll keep sending you letters, even when you don't respond?_

 _-James_

* * *

 _There once was a young Witch named Bright_

 _Whose broom was much faster than light_

 _She set out one day_

 _In a relative way_

 _And returned on the previous night._

 _-James_

* * *

 _There once was a Horklump, Dot,_

 _who indignantly answered: "I'll not!_

 _The gents are impressed_

 _with the way that I'm dressed._

 _I wouldn't change even one spot."_

 _-James_

* * *

 _There was a Wizard with a beard_

 _Who said, 'It is just as I feared!_

 _Two Owls and a Hen,_

 _And four Hippogriffs then,_

 _Have all built their nests in my beard!_

 _-James_

* * *

 _James,_

 _Did you even write those yourself, you git?_

 _-Andrea_

* * *

 _Andrea,_

 _No, they're old folk limericks my Mum used to tell us when we were little._

 _-James_

* * *

 _James,_

 _Must be nice, having a normal family._

 _-Andrea_

* * *

 _Andrea,_

 _I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking when I sent that._

 _But we aren't normal, not in the slightest. You've met my brother, after all._

 _-James_

* * *

 _James,_

 _It's alright. Just because my family is horrid doesn't mean everyone else's has to be._

 _And are you quite sure you aren't the abnormal one? I'm not convinced. It takes someone truly senseless to think that enlarging_ _ **Bat Bogeys**_ _was a good idea, after all._

 _-Andy_

* * *

 _Andy,_

 _Ha. So now you're a comic, are you? Look, the spell worked, didn't it?_

 _Are you coming to visit Rose soon? She should be back from Malfoy Manor in a few days._

 _-James_

* * *

 _James,_

 _You put Charlie McLeod in St. Mungo's, you arse._

 _Yes, if you must know, I'll be there come Saturday._

 _-Andy_

* * *

 _Andy,_

 _But he's fine now, isn't he?_

 _Good, see you soon then._

 _-James_

* * *

 _"Rose Weasley looked on with particular satisfaction when Albus and James attempted to help Andy improve her skills on a broomstick (even after a year of flying lessons at Hogwarts, the Muggle-born could barely stay on for more than fifteen minutes and could hover no higher than a second-story window). Their endeavor ended in near-disaster as Andy tumbled off her broom due to a strong gust of wind, dragging James with her; Albus pulled into a steep dive in what would probably a futile effort to stop their descent before they reached the ground. Just as Rose was about to go against the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery, however, she heard Teddy Lupin hurriedly incant "Arresto Momentum" beside her, and she watched as her three friends sank painlessly into a confused heap in the meadow. After a moment, they burst out laughing, causing Rose to smile and leading her to hope that they would all eventually become friends, or at least be able to spend time in the same room without driving one another mental. Those hopes quickly evaporated as Andy attempted to stand- James decided to trip her, sending her sprawling. She stood again, this time with a vengeance, and soon the pair was wrestling on the Potters' lawn. Though James could probably hold his own in a fight with most people, Andy was clearly his superior thanks to her years of training, and soon she was seated on James' back as he lay face-first in the grass, refusing to let him up until he apologized."_

\- _Thorns Have Roses, Chapter 15_


	3. Chapter 3

Hello all! Sorry it's been a while since I updated - this semester is flying by. I'll try to update Thorns Have Roses soon as well, so hang tight and I hope you enjoy!

As a reminder, I do not own Harry Potter or any affiliated characters. If I did, Order of the Phoenix would have gone down much differently...

Third Year

Andrea stared up at the Great Hall's ceiling as she sat alone at the Gryffindor table for the start of term feast. She had always been awestruck by its complex enchantments, which replicated the sky so precisely that it looked as if the hall were open to the heavens. Most of the Hogwarts students from wizarding families took the incredible view for granted, accustomed as they were to the everyday impossible beauties of magic. Andy loved to spend her meals watching the weather patterns shift, as clouds slowly rolled across the sky during the day and constellations poked their heads out from between them at night. On clear, beautiful nights like these, it reminded her of being home in the planetarium her father had had built for her, only one of many ways in which he had tried to purchase her affection over the years: a misguided attempt at recompense for his usual far less than tender behavior. Due to his aging knees that made him unable to ascend the narrow spiral staircase used to access it, the planetarium was the one place in her family's house where she was always safe from him, which had fostered a love of Astronomy in her younger self that had made her top of the correlating class here. The stars were her refuge, and looking at the ceiling of the Great Hall gave her the same sense of peace and familiarity that the planetarium at home did – that was a miracle in and of itself, in a school that was as simultaneously as claustrophobic and wonderous as Hogwarts.

Of course, that feeling of serenity couldn't last forever. "Hullo, Andy," she heard a familiar voice say as someone sat down next to her on the bench.

"James, correct me if I'm wrong," she said through gritted teeth, "but don't you have **friends** you could be sitting with? Or relatives who tolerate you better than I do? I'm sure they're missing you by now."

"What, and deny you the pleasure of my company? Wouldn't dream of it."

"Why do you like to torment me? Before you sat down I was having beautiful, interesting thoughts that had nothing to do with you."

"Because I don't want my sister to be able to spot me easily, and with you is the last place she'll look."

This wasn't the answer Andy was expecting, and she was mildly disappointed for some reason she couldn't quite grasp – he had broken from their usual scripted back and forth. Recovering quickly, she asked "And why exactly are you hiding from Lily?"

"In some ways she's just like Mum – if she can corner you while she's upset you're a dead man, but if you give her enough of a chance to cool down first…"

"And why do you expect she'll be upset?"

James grinned devilishly. "You'll see."

Andy saw very soon indeed, when Lily was Sorted into Gryffindor and a lion's roar suddenly echoed throughout the Great Hall. Though she intellectually knew that James was undoubtedly to blame, along with his cousin Fred, and that the lion (if there even was one) was most likely harmless, years of fighting had honed her reflexes and made them impossible to ignore. The third-year stood quickly and drew her wand, putting herself between James and the direction of the noise without thinking twice about why exactly she felt the urge to protect a boy who had been the thorn in her side for the past two years.

Potter didn't stay where he was for very long. "Sterling, what in Godric's name do you think you're doing?" he said, standing up from the bench and shoving his way from out behind her.

"Defending you. You're welcome," she said, half-turning to face him, though her eyes were still scouring the room for any potential threats.

"I don't **need** defending, Sterling, it's my spell."

"Yes, and so were the Bat Bogeys – what a bloody brilliant idea those were."

"Look," he said, gesturing up to the great lofted ceiling she had been examining a short while ago. A large cartoonish lion decked out in scarlet and gold was hovering there, doing some sort of strange Irish jig and holding a banner with Lily's name between its paws. "Scary, isn't it? Terrifying, even. Face it, Andy, 'I think you're just incapable of recognizing when you **aren't needed**.'"

The lion burst into a cloud of golden dust, and the entire student body burst into laughter, with the exception of the two bickering Gryffindors.

"As if it was anything but instinct, Potter. And what a lousy instinct it was, trying to look out for your arse. In the future, I'll be sure to try and leave you for the lions."

From across the room, they heard Lily's shrill voice rise above the din. " **JAMES, FRED, I WILL MURDER YOU.** " Before Andy abandoned her seat to find another, far away from James, she made sure to catch Lily's eye, then pointed toward the redhead's brother next to her. After all, who was she to try and protect him?

* * *

"Andy!" A voice called out to Andrea as she disembarked from the Hogwarts Express, dragging her trunk and wicker cat basket behind her. "Andy, wait up a bit!" Her insides felt as if they had been filled with snakes, pushing and writhing and threatening to make her sick. That was nothing new, of course – it always felt this way when she had to go home. She didn't feel like speaking to (read: bickering with) James Potter, however, and so she continued walking along Platform 9 ¾, skirting along the edges of the crowd comprised of students and their parents. "Sterling!"

She felt a hand on her shoulder and suppressed the urge to put her unwanted companion in a wristlock. " **What** , Potter?" she snapped instead, spinning around to face him.

James' face was flushed with exertion; clearly, he had run through the crowd to find her before she left Kings Cross. But why? "Didn't you hear me calling for you?" he panted.

"Yes."

"Well, why didn't you stop, then?"

She crossed her arms and sighed. "Potter, I'm not sure what in Godric's name you think I would want to talk to you about, but can't it wait for one of those stupid letters you always send me?"

His expression became puzzled at her reply. "I didn't know you hated me quite that much…Sterling."

"Well, you haven't given me much reason to enjoy your company…James."

He smirked at her use of his first name, so she continued quickly, "Look, I don't hate you. I'd like to, sometimes; you get on my nerves like no one else can. I'm just tired of this back and forth, and I have more pressing matters to deal with right now than you and your antics."

"Fine, well, if you really don't like my 'stupid' letters, I guess I'll just have to give your Christmas present to someone else."

Now it was her turn to look puzzled. "You got me a present? Why?"

He grinned and took a small parcel from the pocket of his robes, wrapped in brown paper and twine. "I'm sorry it's not more festive, I just finished it and I wanted to give it to you early, before the holidays."

Andy hesitantly unwrapped the gift. "It's not going to bite me, is it? Or turn me pink?"

"Is that all you think I'm good for, then? Pranks?"

"What else have you done, really, besides play jokes on me? Or steal my letters, or pull my hair-"

He raised a hand to stop her. "Alright, alright, point taken. I can, on occasion, be infuriating. Just open it."

Andrea tore off the rest of the wrappings and found she was holding a small book bound in dark red leather with golden fastenings. She thumbed through the first few pages, and became confused when she found they were blank. "A journal? I don't understand."

"It's got a Disillusionment Charm. Muggles can't read anything you write in it – they'll think it's just a book on Mediwizardry. That should keep it safe from your parents, if they ever decide to go through your things. Write in the first half for personal notes, and the second half to communicate with me," here he removed another small book from the folds of his robes, identical to hers in everything but color – his was a deep brown. "Should save my poor owl some trouble over the holidays. Anything you write after the middle bindings will appear in mine, and vice versa. When you're running low on space, it'll add more pages for you. Oh, and there are some star charts in the back. I heard you like Astronomy, so… yeah."

Andrea was touched, as well as confused – by both Potter's own possible motivations and the deep pleasure his gesture gave her. "James, you made this? For me?"

He rolled his eyes and reclaimed his usual dry, sarcastic tone. "Oh, blimey, here we go. Don't get a big head, alright? You're my cousin's friend, and I may slightly care for your overall wellbeing. This isn't a marriage proposal, so don't go all 'dewy-eyed schoolgirl' on me."

She quirked an eyebrow. "And if you call me a 'dewy-eyed schoolgirl' again, I'll give you a black eye and a broken nose to match."

James smiled. "I wouldn't have it any other way." With that, the black-haired boy turned and left.


	4. Chapter 4

In case you didn't read the note I posted in one of my THR chapters, I'm sorry it's been so long since I've written anything for this fic. Andrea Sterling is based on a person I know in real life, who up until very recently I considered to be my best friend and my sister in all but blood. We had an awful, messy, extremely painful falling out a few months ago, and it simply hurt too much for me to attempt to write anything from her perspective - as my loyal readers may note, I also wrote about Andy as little as possible in THR, though I promise that will be ending shortly. It still hurts, of course, but I'm coming to terms with the fact that she and I will never be friends again (not an overstatement, as I'm paraphrasing exactly what she's told me on several occasions now), and I'm learning to appreciate the other friends I have in my life much more than I have in the past (I know some of you are reading this, and please know I love you dearly). Now that the wounds have healed over a bit (though they're still painful as hell when I start picking at the scabs), I felt I was ready to continue writing about Andrea and James. I hope some of you are still interested in finding out what happens next.

So, without further ado, here's Fourth Year:

* * *

Fourth Year

Andrea contemplated the book sitting on the desk in front of her, open to a blank page, for quite some time before writing in it.

 ** _James?_** she scrawled after much deliberation about whether she should say anything at all. Though the Potter boy had given her this journal to communicate with him over breaks, and she'd replied to the limericks he occasionally sent her with sarcastic or vaguely annoyed comments of her own, she'd never used it to initiate a conversation with him before. But after she'd read in a special nighttime edition of the _Daily Prophet_ that his brother had been attacked in Diagon Alley, she felt the circumstances called for it.

It was a little while before he replied, and she wondered whether he was with Albus at St. Mungo's now. She'd thought about sending Rose an owl, and probably would in the morning…but the Ravenclaw had Malfoy to comfort her. Last Andy had heard, Fred and Roxanne were out of the country with their parents on vacation, too high up in the Swiss Alps for owls to fly. Lily Potter was likely traumatized. Their parents were undoubtedly more concerned with Albus than their other children, and with good reason. But that meant James Sirius Potter had no one. She didn't want to admit it, but some part of her cared about that, was even upset by it. His attempts to distract her while she was home every holiday were misguided, but she understood the sentiment. Though she wasn't quite sure how he had become her responsibility when she hadn't wanted to be penpals with him in the first place, she understood it fell upon her to check on him now. Just like her sense of justice wouldn't permit her to stand back and watch a younger or more defenseless student get picked on, she knew she simply wouldn't be able to sleep until she at least tried to help him.

 _Hey_ , he finally responded, handwriting even messier than it usually was.

 ** _How is he?_**

 _Alive_. After a few moments, he added, _He's home now, and asleep. Rose and Malfoy just left, Lily's upstairs, and the grownups are fighting in the kitchen about whether we should go back to Hogwarts._

 ** _Do you want to go back?_**

 _They couldn't keep me away if they tried._

 ** _Drat. For a minute there I'd gotten my hopes up._**

 _You won't get rid of me that easily._

Andy waited a minute or two before asking, **_And how are you?_**

His response was blunt, his normal bluster and sarcasm gone. _I'm not the one who almost died._

 ** _That's not an answer_**

 _Why do you care?_

 ** _Good question. I shouldn't._**

There was a long pause before she received a response. Finally, he wrote: _He's my little brother. How do you think I feel?_

 ** _Shitty, I assume._**

 _You know, I've never even asked – do you have siblings?_

 ** _I have Michael. He's older than me, and he's hardly ever around now that he doesn't have to be, but he's still my brother. And I'm sorry._**

Like the flicking of a lightswitch, his defenses were back up. _If I'd known you'd care so much, Andrea, I'd do traumatizing things more often. When we get back, I'll make sure to fall off my broomstick, or jump in the Black Lake-_

Words were still appearing on the page as she wrote, **_Don't make me regret it, prat._**

 _Admit it, you'd miss the old me if I suddenly started acting normal. You like my surprises, even when I'm an arse._

She put the quill down and closed the journal, telling herself that last message didn't even deserve a response…though in reality, she simply didn't know how to answer it. Would she miss him?

* * *

 _…Not to be outdone, several other Weasley relatives have recently instigated romantic entanglements in the hopes of gaining media attention, and with the most unlikely of parties. Though the longstanding fling between half-werewolf Teddy Lupin and part-Veela Victoire Weasley has been well-documented and comes as a surprise to no one (but will they ultimately fail when Teddy inevitably fails to propose? If they don't, I'll eat my Quick-Quotes Quill), it will astonish many that the incredibly eligible Hogwarts heartthrob James Sirius Potter has become quite "serious" with a previously unknown Muggleborn student, Andrea Sterling. Yes, love is in the air at Hogwarts, with Valentines Day still months away, and the old adage that there is someone for everyone is proving to be shockingly accurate…._

Andrea nearly threw her copy of the _Daily Prophet_ on the floor of the Great Hall. The part of Rita Skeeter's article that mentioned her was small, only a throw-away line, really – the bulk talked about Rose's unlikely friendship (and, as Skeeter implied, **romance** ) with Scorpius Malfoy. Still, it aggravated her to no end, though there was some other emotion there as well; she couldn't identify it, and so pushed it to the side to deal with her rage and disbelief instead. Her? Date James Potter? **James Sirius Potter**? Godric, she could barely stand to be around him, let alone-

She felt a tap on her shoulder and spun around on the bench, hands clenched into fists. None other than James himself stood behind her, flanked by Fred Weasley and Rose's brother Hugo on either side, an infuriating grin plastered on his face and a swagger in his step.

"Care to kiss me, Sterling? We are dating, after all, and I am 'incredibly eligible'…" The boy moved to give her a peck.

"Oh for the love of Circe- get **out** of my **face** , Potter, if you know what's good for you."

"I've never said I do," he replied, still leaning toward her.

Other students sitting around her were beginning to notice, pointing and smiling and whispering in a way that made her certain they too had read today's newspaper. This couldn't be happening. She couldn't **let** this happen. For more than three years, she'd worked to build a reputation at this school, one that would protect her and her growing circle of friends (which thanks to Rose now loosely included the rest of the Weasleys, as well as a few Hufflepuffs) from the bullies that seemed to run rampant here. Andrea had always felt the need to present a front that seemed strong and apathetic, that was unaffected by anything that happened to her, good or bad – it was how she survived, both at Hogwarts and at home. If people realized they could get under her skin, like James had, they could press that reaction to their advantage. It made her seem weak. And now James was threatening that, though whether he quite understood what he was doing was up for debate. He probably just assumed this was an appropriate extension of their normal banter, which she'd grown used to and occasionally even enjoyed.

"James, I'm warning you to stop," she gave him one last chance as his lips came uncomfortably close to brushing hers. She knew he wouldn't let them connect – that wasn't what he was aiming for. He would pull away at the last second so it seemed like she'd **wanted** to kiss him, make some comment about how he'd rather snog a hippogriff to make sure no one believed Skeeter's ridiculous claim that they were a couple, and be on his merry way. No, he wasn't threatening to force contact with her, which would have made her angry, truly angry…but she couldn't let this happen, either.

"Make me stop," he taunted.

So she did.

James reeled back as her fist connected with his face, staggering into Fred and Hugo, who struggled to support his weight. She hadn't put nearly as much force behind the blow as she could have – she hadn't wanted to hurt him, she realized with a start, but she needed to prove a point to him and to those watching. Word would spread throughout Hogwarts that Andrea Sterling was not to be mussed with.

When Fred and Hugo moved enough for her to spy James' face, she saw blood was gushing from his nose, which was crooked and swollen. Her stomach lurched. Surely he knew she hadn't meant to…

"Wa thad neces'ry, Derling? I dink you broke my dose."

"Did you really need to try to kiss me, Potter?"

"You new I wadn't really gonna-"

"James, c'mon mate, let's get you to the Hospital Wing," interrupted Fred, leading his cousin away from her with Hugo's help while shooting glares like daggers over his shoulder at her before she could find the right words to explain. And there had been nothing **to** say, really - she had a reputation to keep, after all, though the thought felt a tad bitter this time. But really, what had they or James thought would happen when he pretended to try to kiss her with the rest of the school watching? How had he thought she'd react? He'd had no right, and the fact he'd thought she would take it as a joke made no difference.

Those sitting around her had grown silent, scooting as far away as they could along the bench without sitting on their neighbors' laps, looking at her with a mixture of fear and respect. She sat stoically for the rest of lunch, pushing peas around her plate to pretend she was eating. Their Head of House, Professor Macdonald, came over to give her a week of detention scrubbing pots in the kitchen after dinner. She accepted the punishment without a word of complaint.

* * *

 _How are your holidays going, Sterling? Well, I hope?_

* * *

 _Oh come on, I thought we were past this by now. You know I'll just keep being a bother until you reply._

* * *

 _Fine, have it your way then._

 _There was a Wizard of Nantucket_

 _Who kept all his knuts in a bucket._

 _His daughter, called Nan,_

 _Ran away with a man,_

 _And as for the bucket, Nantucket._

* * *

 _But Pa followed the pair to Pawtucket,_

 _The man and the Witch with the bucket;_

 _And he said to the man,_

 _He was welcome to Nan,_

 _But as for the bucket, Pawtucket._

* * *

 _Then the pair followed the Wizard to Manhasset,_

 _Where he still held the knuts as an asset;_

 _But Nan and the man_

 _Stole the galleons and ran,_

 _And as for the bucket, Manhasset._

* * *

 _Andrea? Are you mad at me? What did I do this time?_

 _You know, I can't apologize until I know what to apologize for._

* * *

 _Maybe I can. I'm sorry?_

* * *

 _Is everything okay at your place? Are your parents being decent, at least? Not too awful?_

* * *

 _Andy, please answer. You're worrying me._

* * *

 _Andy?_

* * *

James cornered her in the hallway when they returned to the Potters home on New Years at nearly one a.m. "We need to talk," he nearly growled.

"Tonight is **not** the night for this, Potter. It's late, and you know I've had a shit day. So, if you don't mind…"

She tried to step away from him and toward the door of the guest room she'd be staying in with Rose, but he blocked her path, his hazel eyes boring into her brown ones. Andrea knew she could force him to allow her through, but fought against the urge. Tonight wasn't the night, and she knew he meant well. "That's it, then? You didn't answer me for weeks, even though I gave you a journal that your family wouldn't be able to read. I had to beg Rose to take me to your house and find you, only to see that your father had broken your wrist and was refusing to let you get it healed or leave the house. Andrea, why didn't you **tell me**?"

"And what could you have done? Written him a stern letter telling him to be nice to me?"

"You could have come here weeks ago! You never would have had to stay there if you'd told me or Rose you wanted to leave!"

"And why would I assume I was welcome here, James?"

"Andrea…Andy…You're **always** welcome. I know I can be an ass- you're no angel either-" she snorted as he said this, "but Rose at least has to have told you you're always welcome to stay with her. And the same goes for me," and here he smirked, "as long as you're willing to put up with a few pranks every once in a while."

"Staying for a week is one thing. Staying for the rest of my life, or at least until I come of age- it's entirely different and you know it."

"But why would you think we wouldn't do that for you?"

"Because I'm not used to people caring for me," she replied honestly. "Dad kept me too isolated to have real friends before Hogwarts, Mike pretty much abandoned me the first chance he got, and my parents… well, you saw their feelings for me aren't exactly warm and fuzzy."

James made to hold her hands at this, a prospect that made her heart thud oddly in her chest, but stopped when he saw the bandages still wound around her right wrist. "No one's healed this yet?" he asked, concerned.

She shrugged. "They've had more pressing things to worry about."

"This **is** pressing," he argued. His eyes sought hers as he reached out to touch her, silently requesting permission. She wasn't used to his asking – he always pulled her hair as she passed him in the halls, pranked her incessantly, and tried to trip her every chance he got. The sudden tenderness in his gaze took her by surprise, though it disappeared almost as soon as it appeared. She hadn't known James Sirius Potter could look at anyone like that.

Andrea nodded to consent to his touch, and James took her broken wrist gently into his right hand. With his left (she had never noticed he was left-handed), he pulled his wand from the pocket of his jeans. "What my parents don't know won't hurt them," he murmured absently before placing the tip of his wand on the bandages. "Episkey."

The pain faded immediately, in a way the alcohol she'd been downing since the injury had occurred hadn't been able to manage. The emotional pain, though…that didn't seem to be going anywhere. Still, magic could only get you so far, she supposed. "Thank you," she said, and they stood like that for a moment longer before going their separate ways.


End file.
